1st Marquess of Dufferin was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society. He is now best known as one of the most successful diplomats of his time.
In 1884 he reached the pinnacle of his diplomatic career as eighth Viceroy of India. Lord Dufferin served as Governor General of India and Viceroy from 1884 to 1888.
During his tenure,
The third Burmese war led to annexation of whole of Burma and Burmese ruler was exiled to India.
In 1885, the Panjdeh Incident happened in which the Russian forces seized Afghan territory south of Amu Darya around site of Panjdeh {now located in Turkmenistan}. This created a diplomatic crisis between Russia and Great Britain.
He advanced the cause of the Indian Nationalists greatly during his term, without antagonising the conservative whites. Among other things, the Indian National Congress was founded during his term in 1885 AO Hume laid the foundation of Indian National Congress. He also laid the foundations for the modern Indian Army by establishing the Imperial Service Corps, officered by Indians.
In 1888, he published the Report on the Conditions of the Lower Classes of Population in Bengal (known as the Dufferin Report). The report highlighted the plight of the poor in Bengal, and was used by nationalists to counter the Anglo-Indian claim that British rule had been beneficial to the poorest members of Indian society. Following publication of the report, Dufferin recommended the establishment of provincial and central councils with Indian membership, a key demand of Congress at that time.
Lord Dufferin resigned in 1888 and was succeeded by Lord Lansdowne as Governor-General and Viceroy of India.